QCD Phase Transitions in Binary Neutron Star Mergers

We report on signatures of high-density QCD phase transition to deconfined quarks in the context of binary neutron star mergers. We employ state-of-the-art, general relativistic hydrodynamics simulations of neutron star binaries in quasi-circular and nearly parabolic orbits. We also consider a host of equations of state that model different treatments of both hadronic matter and a 1^st order phase transition to quark matter to compute gravitational wave signatures of the deconfined quark phase.